Christmas is filled with many traditions like decorating trees and opening presents, but one tradition that many people have is Elf on the Shelf.
The Elf on the Shelf is a scout for Santa. Santa sends his elves to watch kids every day and then reports back to him at night. The next day, the elf finds a new place to watch the kids to make sure they are good so they end up on the Nice List.
Many parents and kids go to the store to adopt an elf during the Christmas season. Elves can be found at many places including Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
People can also buy accessories and different outfits for their elves, and some even get their elves a pet or another elf friend.
The elves can be boys or girls. When someone gets an elf, they are tasked with naming it, so it can get its magic and fly to Santa. However, be warned, if a child touches the elf, it can lose its magic and will not fly back to Santa.
Senior Julia Ward has elves named Buddy and Betty. Julia said, “Buddy would always do something funny each day.”
There are many positive aspects of getting an elf. Some good things include starting a new family tradition, adding to the spirit and joy of the holiday season, and making kids behave themselves.
Sophomore Izzy Dobrzykowski said, “One time as a kid my elf was holding my favorite toy, and I got mad and took it.”
She added that the next day the elf was in the same spot because she touched it. She had to apologize, and all was good again.
Having an elf can also make the spirit and joy of Christmas more fun. By adding an elf, people can get into the Christmas mood faster, and it also encourages happiness and cheer among everyone — not just kids.
High school age students remember counting down the days until their elves would arrive, and when they did, it meant that Christmas had finally arrived.
Lastly, having an elf can be good for families because it helps kids behave. By having an elf who reports to Santa every night, kids are more inclined to behave so they can end up on the nice list and get lots of presents.
Although an elf can bring all this joy, it can also be bad. One way having an elf can be bad for a family is the fact that the child cannot touch it.
This idea may confuse some children, and then they could touch the elf and it could lose its powers and not be able to do its job.
Another way having an elf could be bad is the fact that they can be very messy. Some elves like to have fun when hiding and get into all sorts of trouble. Although not all elves cause trouble, lots of them do, which could lead to the child having to clean it up.
Junior Julian Ramirez had an elf named Henry growing up. He said, “My elf moved around a lot and was even hanging from the lights one time.”
Finally, getting an elf could be bad because they are not here all year long. On Christmas Eve, the elves leave with Santa and do not return until the next Christmas season. Now this could cause trouble because kids could think it is okay to be naughty again, or only be good when the elf is at their house and not the rest of the time.
Overall, getting an Elf on the Shelf is worth it. Although there are some downsides to having an elf, the good outweighs the bad. They add so much fun to Christmas celebrations.